The influence of Black Sea Water inflow and its synoptic time-scale variability in the North Aegean Sea hydrodynamics

The exchange water fluxes between the Black Sea and the North Aegean Sea through the Dardanelles Strait constitute an essential factor for the general circulation of the region. The Black Sea Water (BSW) inflow to the Aegean plays an important role in the hydrography and circulation of the basin and can affect the North Aegean deep water formation processes. Numerical experiments evaluating the influence of the time-scale variability (synoptic and seasonal) and the seasonality (period of maximum/minimum) of the Black Sea Water inflow on the dynamics of the North Aegean basin were performed. The experiments were carried out for the period from August 2008 to October 2009, using observed upper and lower-layer fluxes from the Dardanelles Strait, high-resolution atmospheric forcing, and boundary conditions derived from an operational system (ALERMO). The large-scale spatial patterns of the circulation and the seasonal variability of the North Aegean circulation show that dynamics of the basin can effectively absorb most of the Black Sea Water inflow variability. The overall cyclonic circulation of the North Aegean Sea and the predominant cyclonic and anti-cyclonic features are robust and are little affected by the different lateral fluxes. However, differences in the seasonality of the BSW inflow have an important impact in the North Aegean water column structure, while the synoptic variability observed in the Black Sea Water inflow affects the kinetic energy of the basin and the pathway of the Black Sea Water plume.